Closer Watch - A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (check out Dave Regan’s Closer Grid with the link to the left).

SEA – David Aardsma took the loss Thursday against the Yankees by coughing up a two-run homer in the eighth inning. He’s now 0-5 with a 5.33 ERA, but a switch to Brandon League doesn’t appear imminent as long as Aardsma remains healthy.

Key Matchups - Spotlight on hitters and pitchers with favorable matchups against the opposing pitcher (generally, matchups with fewer than 10 at-bats are not included). *Check status

Ricky Romero v. Yankees – New York managed just one run in 11 innings against Toronto on Friday and faces another stiff test Saturday against Romero. Toronto’s left-hander has a 1.88 ERA over his last six starts, allowing more than two earned runs just once, and has impressive career numbers against the Yankees’ potent lineup. Current pinstripers are hitting .213/337/.387 against him in 90 plate appearances.

Barry Zito v. Rockies – Zito seems to thrive in the thin air of Coors Field, posting a 2.45 ERA in five starts there. Of the eight current Rockies with more than 15 plate appearances against him, none is hitting higher than .241, and the entire roster has mustered a meager .195/.304/.312 line. In 15 innings against Colorado this season, Zito has allowed just three earned runs.

Ubaldo Jimenez v. Giants – A pitchers duel? At Coors Field? It might happen on Saturday, when both Jimenez and Barry Zito boast outstanding career numbers against their opponents. Yes, Jimenez has struggled in his last two outings, but does anyone really question whether he’ll turn things around sooner rather than later? If you need convincing, consider that the Giants have hit just .221/.290/.359 in 147 plate appearances against Colorado’s Cy Young candidate.

Johnny Cueto v. Cubs – By most other measures, Cueto is scorching hot right now, allowing just two runs over his last 20.2 innings (three starts). The fact that two of those starts came against the weak-hitting Mariners and A’s takes some of the luster off, but we’re more concerned with his career numbers against Chicago. Current Cubbies sport a .333/.399/.605 line against him. Alfonso Soriano leads the charge with a .444 average and three homers in 18 at-bats.

Recommended Pickup

Cliff Pennington, SS, OAK - Pennington’s ownership plummeted after a miserable month of May that saw him hit just .175 with 22 strikeouts in 97 at-bats. With a season average hovering around the Mendoza line as the calendar turned to June, Pennington immediately started hitting, going 30-for-82 (.366) since then to raise his average by 54 points. He’s not a power guy, so you can’t expect much from the HR and RBI departments, but he can buoy your batting average and boost your steals (four swipes in his last eight games).